The Journey
Chapter 3
I look at Laurel with wide eyes and it takes her a moment to realize what’s going on. Her eyes find my necklace and her jaw falls open.
“Mom,” she says, grabbing her mom’s arm.
“What?”
Laurel points to my Pathfinder and her mom’s gaze follows.
“Oh my god, Piper, your Pathfinder! It’s glowing red! Is it warm?”
I nod and swallow my food. My eyes dart around the restaurant and I find a family walking towards the table behind ours. There’s a mother, a father, and a son who looks to be around my age. I look at the boy’s neck and see a chain exactly the same as mine hiding under his shirt. The red light from his Pathfinder is glowing through his white T-shirt and I can’t help but stare, hoping he notices.
The boy gets a weird look on his face and looks down, bringing his hand up to the charm around his neck. He pulls it out from under his shirt and turns it over in his fingers before his eyes snap up and survey the area, most likely looking for me.
“Harry!” His mother calls. I hadn’t noticed his parents turn around and head towards the street. My heart sinks as he turns around and runs after them. I want to jump up and yell for him to stop, for him to turn around and introduce himself, maybe give me his phone number so we could get to know each other, but I don’t have the courage to do so.
I watch as he and his parents step into a cab and drive away and I find myself wondering what made them leave without even eating, or why they were even here in the first place if they were going to take off before they sat down.
“Piper, you have to do something! Don’t just let them leave!” Laurel says.
I sit in a stunned silence, watching the curly haired boy drive away in the taxi with his parents. I know I’ll see him again, I have a feeling in my gut that I will. I just wish he would have found me before he had to leave.
It’s partially my fault that we didn’t meet, I should have gotten up and introduced myself but I’ve never been good at meeting new people, just imagine how difficult it would be for me to introduce myself to the boy I’m supposed to spend my life with.
“You messed up, Piper,” Laurel says.
I give her a look and she continues eating, leaving me alone to my thoughts. There’s no way I can go after him, he left in a taxi. Even if I could go after him, what would I say? Hi, my name is Piper and I’m the girl you’re supposed to marry and spend the rest of your life with even though we’ve never met before.
A lot of people actually just go up to their other half and start a conversation and mention that their Pathfinder lit up when the other person entered the room and that’s how they become an item but I could never do that. I watch as the taxi turns a corner and drives out of sight.
My heart feels as if someone had ripped it out of my chest and threw it on the ground. I’ve never been this close to the boy I’m supposed to marry before and now that I’ve seen him I know I need to see him again before I go home, the only problem is finding him.
I attempt to push the thoughts of him out of my mind and wait until Laurel and her mom are finished eating so we can head back to our hotel. I had really wanted to walk around the city and see what it’s like before we called it a night but now I’m really not up for it and I can tell Laurel knows that.
She’s never had to go through what I just did because she’s known Nova for so long, they’re perfect for each other. They’ve had real conversations, they have each other’s phone number, they know where each other lives, they see each other all the time. Today is the first time in my life that I’ve seen my future husband and I can’t get him out of my mind. I wish I had been able to see him better, maybe sneak a picture or something so I could remember what he looks like. My memory of him is already fading. I remember he had curly brown hair, he has the most attractive hair I’ve ever seen. I have no idea what color his eyes are or even if he was tall.
I mentally slap myself for not doing something while he was still here but in my defense, they left right after they got here so I didn’t really have time to do anything.
“Piper?”
I’m pulled away from my thoughts when Mrs. Stratton says my name.
“Yeah?”
“I said we’re going to head back to the hotel if you’re finished,” she says.
I nod and stand, stuffing phone into my pocket. Mrs. Stratton pays the bill and we call a taxi to take us back to our hotel. The ride goes by quickly and I’m surprised when I find myself standing in the lobby of the hotel.
The elevator takes us up to our room and I throw my phone and key card onto the bed when we get inside. I don’t even bother to take my makeup off before I crawl under the covers and fall asleep until the next morning.
___________________________________________________
I wake up in my hotel bed the next morning around 10 o’clock. Laurel is still asleep in the bed next to mine and I can hear her softly snoring. Mrs. Stratton said something about walking the city today since we didn’t do it yesterday and I find her sitting on the couch watching TV on my way to the kitchen.
“Good morning, Piper. Did you sleep well?” She turns the television off and turns towards me, waiting for an answer.
I nod my head and fill up a glass with water.
“Are you up for walking the city?” She asks.
I nod again and set the glass down on the counter.
“Why don’t you go wake Laurel up and we can get breakfast,” she suggests.
I walk back to the room I share with Laurel and pull open the curtains. Light floods into the room and I have to cover my eyes while they adjust.
I shake Laurel to wake her up and it works surprisingly well.
We both get dressed in silence, not wanting to talk about my lack of common sense with the boy yesterday. Besides that, I’m still too tired to try and start a conversation.
I pull open one of my drawers in the dresser and pull on a pair of dark jean shorts and a white tank top. I’ve never been one to dress up unless I have to, I just wear makeup. Laurel, on the other hand, has to look her absolute best at all times.
When I finish putting on my makeup and doing my hair, I walk out of the bathroom to find Laurel wearing a navy blue dress and white sandals.
“Don’t you think you’re a little dressed up to walk the city?” I ask. I’m confused as to why she put so much effort into her appearance, it’s not like she’s going to find her soul mate, she already has him. Now that I think about it, I probably should have put on something more flattering in case I run into the boy again but, then again, what are the odds that’s going to happen?
“Sorry for wanting to look presentable,” she responds, heading towards the bathroom.
I grab my phone and realize I forgot to plug it in last night when we got back. I find my charger and plug it in next to my bed and put my room key into my purse along with my sunglasses.
I walk back out to the living room area with Mrs. Stratton and sit on the couch. It takes Laurel a long time in the bathroom but that’s no surprise. When she finally gets out, I see she’s done her makeup and borrowed a pair of my earrings. She slings her purse over her shoulder and we walk out of the room and down the hall to the elevator.
We reach the lobby and it’s basically deserted. There’s already a taxi parked outside so we hop in and go to Central Park. We didn’t know where exactly to start and Central Park seemed as good a place as any.
When we get there, we pay the driver and step out of the cab. There are a lot of people walking and talking and having fun and it’s a nice day out so I wouldn’t expect anything less.
We find a nice shaded area and sit down for a bit and stare at the clouds.
“Do you think you’ll see him again?” Laurel asks after a long silence.
“What?” I ask before I realize what she’s talking about.
“The boy from the restaurant. Do you think you’ll find him again?” She repeats.
I really don’t know. Will I see him again? What if I don’t? What if he actually did see me but he doesn’t want to meet me? Would he even like me if I find him again? What if I’m not a good match for him?
“I don’t know,” I answer. I’m not sure how much I want to talk to her about him because she doesn’t really know what it’s like having to actually look for the person I’m supposed to spend my life with. She’s known Nova forever, they’ve never had to go through the search.
“Don’t worry, Piper. I know you’ll find him again. Just keep your spirits high, don’t let negative thoughts ruin you.”
Laurel was always good at giving me advice and I know she’s right. If I keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong, nothing is bound to go right.
“Mom,” she says, grabbing her mom’s arm.
“What?”
Laurel points to my Pathfinder and her mom’s gaze follows.
“Oh my god, Piper, your Pathfinder! It’s glowing red! Is it warm?”
I nod and swallow my food. My eyes dart around the restaurant and I find a family walking towards the table behind ours. There’s a mother, a father, and a son who looks to be around my age. I look at the boy’s neck and see a chain exactly the same as mine hiding under his shirt. The red light from his Pathfinder is glowing through his white T-shirt and I can’t help but stare, hoping he notices.
The boy gets a weird look on his face and looks down, bringing his hand up to the charm around his neck. He pulls it out from under his shirt and turns it over in his fingers before his eyes snap up and survey the area, most likely looking for me.
“Harry!” His mother calls. I hadn’t noticed his parents turn around and head towards the street. My heart sinks as he turns around and runs after them. I want to jump up and yell for him to stop, for him to turn around and introduce himself, maybe give me his phone number so we could get to know each other, but I don’t have the courage to do so.
I watch as he and his parents step into a cab and drive away and I find myself wondering what made them leave without even eating, or why they were even here in the first place if they were going to take off before they sat down.
“Piper, you have to do something! Don’t just let them leave!” Laurel says.
I sit in a stunned silence, watching the curly haired boy drive away in the taxi with his parents. I know I’ll see him again, I have a feeling in my gut that I will. I just wish he would have found me before he had to leave.
It’s partially my fault that we didn’t meet, I should have gotten up and introduced myself but I’ve never been good at meeting new people, just imagine how difficult it would be for me to introduce myself to the boy I’m supposed to spend my life with.
“You messed up, Piper,” Laurel says.
I give her a look and she continues eating, leaving me alone to my thoughts. There’s no way I can go after him, he left in a taxi. Even if I could go after him, what would I say? Hi, my name is Piper and I’m the girl you’re supposed to marry and spend the rest of your life with even though we’ve never met before.
A lot of people actually just go up to their other half and start a conversation and mention that their Pathfinder lit up when the other person entered the room and that’s how they become an item but I could never do that. I watch as the taxi turns a corner and drives out of sight.
My heart feels as if someone had ripped it out of my chest and threw it on the ground. I’ve never been this close to the boy I’m supposed to marry before and now that I’ve seen him I know I need to see him again before I go home, the only problem is finding him.
I attempt to push the thoughts of him out of my mind and wait until Laurel and her mom are finished eating so we can head back to our hotel. I had really wanted to walk around the city and see what it’s like before we called it a night but now I’m really not up for it and I can tell Laurel knows that.
She’s never had to go through what I just did because she’s known Nova for so long, they’re perfect for each other. They’ve had real conversations, they have each other’s phone number, they know where each other lives, they see each other all the time. Today is the first time in my life that I’ve seen my future husband and I can’t get him out of my mind. I wish I had been able to see him better, maybe sneak a picture or something so I could remember what he looks like. My memory of him is already fading. I remember he had curly brown hair, he has the most attractive hair I’ve ever seen. I have no idea what color his eyes are or even if he was tall.
I mentally slap myself for not doing something while he was still here but in my defense, they left right after they got here so I didn’t really have time to do anything.
“Piper?”
I’m pulled away from my thoughts when Mrs. Stratton says my name.
“Yeah?”
“I said we’re going to head back to the hotel if you’re finished,” she says.
I nod and stand, stuffing phone into my pocket. Mrs. Stratton pays the bill and we call a taxi to take us back to our hotel. The ride goes by quickly and I’m surprised when I find myself standing in the lobby of the hotel.
The elevator takes us up to our room and I throw my phone and key card onto the bed when we get inside. I don’t even bother to take my makeup off before I crawl under the covers and fall asleep until the next morning.
___________________________________________________
I wake up in my hotel bed the next morning around 10 o’clock. Laurel is still asleep in the bed next to mine and I can hear her softly snoring. Mrs. Stratton said something about walking the city today since we didn’t do it yesterday and I find her sitting on the couch watching TV on my way to the kitchen.
“Good morning, Piper. Did you sleep well?” She turns the television off and turns towards me, waiting for an answer.
I nod my head and fill up a glass with water.
“Are you up for walking the city?” She asks.
I nod again and set the glass down on the counter.
“Why don’t you go wake Laurel up and we can get breakfast,” she suggests.
I walk back to the room I share with Laurel and pull open the curtains. Light floods into the room and I have to cover my eyes while they adjust.
I shake Laurel to wake her up and it works surprisingly well.
We both get dressed in silence, not wanting to talk about my lack of common sense with the boy yesterday. Besides that, I’m still too tired to try and start a conversation.
I pull open one of my drawers in the dresser and pull on a pair of dark jean shorts and a white tank top. I’ve never been one to dress up unless I have to, I just wear makeup. Laurel, on the other hand, has to look her absolute best at all times.
When I finish putting on my makeup and doing my hair, I walk out of the bathroom to find Laurel wearing a navy blue dress and white sandals.
“Don’t you think you’re a little dressed up to walk the city?” I ask. I’m confused as to why she put so much effort into her appearance, it’s not like she’s going to find her soul mate, she already has him. Now that I think about it, I probably should have put on something more flattering in case I run into the boy again but, then again, what are the odds that’s going to happen?
“Sorry for wanting to look presentable,” she responds, heading towards the bathroom.
I grab my phone and realize I forgot to plug it in last night when we got back. I find my charger and plug it in next to my bed and put my room key into my purse along with my sunglasses.
I walk back out to the living room area with Mrs. Stratton and sit on the couch. It takes Laurel a long time in the bathroom but that’s no surprise. When she finally gets out, I see she’s done her makeup and borrowed a pair of my earrings. She slings her purse over her shoulder and we walk out of the room and down the hall to the elevator.
We reach the lobby and it’s basically deserted. There’s already a taxi parked outside so we hop in and go to Central Park. We didn’t know where exactly to start and Central Park seemed as good a place as any.
When we get there, we pay the driver and step out of the cab. There are a lot of people walking and talking and having fun and it’s a nice day out so I wouldn’t expect anything less.
We find a nice shaded area and sit down for a bit and stare at the clouds.
“Do you think you’ll see him again?” Laurel asks after a long silence.
“What?” I ask before I realize what she’s talking about.
“The boy from the restaurant. Do you think you’ll find him again?” She repeats.
I really don’t know. Will I see him again? What if I don’t? What if he actually did see me but he doesn’t want to meet me? Would he even like me if I find him again? What if I’m not a good match for him?
“I don’t know,” I answer. I’m not sure how much I want to talk to her about him because she doesn’t really know what it’s like having to actually look for the person I’m supposed to spend my life with. She’s known Nova forever, they’ve never had to go through the search.
“Don’t worry, Piper. I know you’ll find him again. Just keep your spirits high, don’t let negative thoughts ruin you.”
Laurel was always good at giving me advice and I know she’s right. If I keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong, nothing is bound to go right.
Update please!!!!
2/6/14